Hipster design is hot

Interior design with your inner hipster is hot. It’s ironic and your friends will never understand because they can’t get past their mainstream Pottery Barn catalog design ideas. You are different and you know that there are better ways to feel superior than to spend thousands on an overpriced armoire. You do not have to go dumpster diving or visit an art gallery to outfit your home in a way that tells the world that you are a hipster and you don’t care who knows it.

Below are ten illustrated tips to help you have a true hipster home that are best viewed while listening to some early Band of Horses songs. And if you really want to show off your inner hipster, you should tell everyone in the comments that these tips are lame because you already had all of this in your home last year.

1. Ironic throw pillows:

All good hipsters have ironic throw pillows be they featuring Liza Minelli, Jodie Foster, Tom Selleck, or any star that is no longer relevant but could potentially become relevant, thus you have known all along how amazing they are. A gold star is given if it is handmade, or has a pet-able moustache.

2. Mod dining room:

Retro mod table and chairs is a hot hipster interior design MUST have – Craigslist is chock full of options! If you spend more than $100 or buy it new, your hipster credibility will be shot. Also, every hipster home must implement (a) loud wallpaper as an accent wall somewhere, but make sure it is the ugliest print available and (b) oddly hung items, especially small items hung too high because you are different and must not adhere to the “eye level” rule.

3. The Typewriter:

Every hipster home must have a typewriter and bonus points are given for it being an alternative color. Extra bonus points are given if you wax philosophical against modern technology while you carry an iPhone in your pocket. Also, imagine what would happen if you had two typewriters. Woah.

4. Ironic appliances:

Taking out the brand new stainless steel refrigerator from your kitchen and adding a smaller, less effective vintage refrigerator and calling it an “ice box” is a truly hipster move. You should be praised for this edgy decision and applauded by friends and admirers.

5. No mainstream packaging:

Putting EVERYTHING in Mason jars is beautiful, but it is most definitely hipster. Cereal, bottled water, everything – put it in a mason jar if you want a hipster home! No one needs to know that you shop at Wal-Mart, rather than Whole Foods, so blame the lack of packaging on your refusal to acknowledge brands or their visible messages.

6. Superior music:

You can’t call your house a hipster home if you don’t have a record player and use it when guests come over to showcase your extensive vinyl collection and talk about how morally superior you are due to your affinity for vintage albums as you lament how music never improved past 1969 (although you were not alive, do not let anyone argue your soul was not aware of music).

7. The Ikea trick:

Buy an IKEA shelf and either (a) talk about how disgusting you feel for feeding the capitalist conglomerate or (b) insist that it was your grandmother’s shelf and scratch it up really well before putting display items on the shelf.

8. Labels:

Although you refuse to adhere to any labels, your hipster home must always label something that doesn’t need a label so people can appreciate your sense of irony (although they won’t get it, you’re too clever for them). Stairs are a great start, but also try doors, shelves, walls, floor tiles, or anything that gives you a reason to test how unintelligent people are so you can school them on the word irony.

9. Environmentalism:

Have a bucket outside to collect rainwater, even if you don’t intend on using it for anything – people will be in awe of how environmentally conscious and brilliant you are. Genius.

10. Crocheted accents:

Make sure to have an awkward amount of crocheted items in your home or it cannot be considered a hipster home. Seriously, an awkward amount of crocheted items. Doilies are a bonus, and it helps if you tell people it is all vintage or handed down in your family despite the yarn being from a 2009 lot and crocheted in a sweat shop.

Multi-functional tables: the perfect touch

Smaller, more well designed homes with space constraints are on the rise. Gone are the days of McMansions and 10,000 square foot homes. Couples with children who have flown the nest are looking for a more simplified and less cluttered lifestyle. We are coming into an age where our homes and the furniture that goes in these homes need to be convenient, compatible, and multi-functional.

Speaking of furniture, sometimes clients beat you to the punch and find the coolest furniture to use in their new and smaller home. Such was the the case when working on a new construction and furnishing project for a couple in the 78704 neighborhood of Austin, Texas. Before deciding to work with a designer, my clients had discovered the perfect dining room table for their new smaller home. We’ll get to that table in a second, but lets talk more about furniture.

Alongside the family room sectional, the second most important piece of furniture in a home are tables. It’s the piece where we kick up our feet, gather for family dinners, or finish our homework. But what if our tables did more than just coaster our evening glass of Pino? What if our tables performed the duty of storage, game time entertainment, or additional seating?

Now I bet you’re wondering what piece of furniture my clients found for their dining table. This is by far the coolest dining table I’ve ever seen. It is not ONLY a dining table but converts into a pool table. Hidden by its sleek design and contemporary lines, you would never know until you take its top off (see below).

Graphic patterns: hot interior design trend

Graphic patterns make any room pop

Graphic patters, big or small are here to stay. As far back as ancient Greece, graphic patterning can be found in art, textiles, and on walls. Were the Greeks natural born interior designers or did they just understand the impact a graphic pattern could add to the room?

Think about it – have you ever heard of the ‘Greek Key‘ pattern? Derived in Greece, this decorative border is still found in every day design. Personally, I love it accented on a pillow as a trim or crown molding in a traditional living room. In my line of work, I use patterns every day, but graphic patterns can really make a room pop!

Using graphic patterns in a space can be seen as an art. When applying these graphics to a space, I take into account the size of the pattern, the color of the pattern, and it’s placement in a room. Fortunately, graphic pattern can been seen and used in endless interior design applications from wallpapers to rugs to pillows and everything in between.

Graphic patterns in themselves can be anything from a chevrons, to trellis, to simplified floral design. A mix between large graphic patterns and small graphic patterns creates a space that is visually appealing. More often than not, you like ‘that’ ad in the latest furniture catalog sitting on your coffee table because it is visually layered, and the key to layering your space is in the use of graphic patterns.

One way to begin adding graphic patterns to any space is to focus on a color. Select your main color and begin building the room.

Examples of graphic patterns

Secret to quickly adding graphic patterns

Mixing and matching pillows on your sofa is a inexpensive way to add a bold punch to your room. It may seem like an intimidating process but after you see these examples be brave and have fun!

Bundle up, it’s getting cold out there!

There’s something about soft outdoor lighting in the fall that makes you want to bundle up with a blanket and watch the colors turn. Now that it’s actually less than 100 degrees here in Texas – and normal temperatures everywhere else – the outdoors are actually tolerable, and homeowners are looking to spend some time outside. Other regions are already experiencing snow, but spending time outdoors is still appealing to so many Americans.

If you’re considering adding a seating area to your yard, you’re going to need a way to light it. Take a look at the following outdoor lighting options, ranging from the romantic flicker of a flame in a fire pit, to ingenious walkway lighting illuminating the path to your doorstep. Then, grab a glass of wine, go outside and get cozy. Click any image below to learn more.